W 4935 
HS A4 



0 020 517 241 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

Chap. Copyright No 

Shelf_Jdc A4 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



Sibs% of Ctfe, 

FROM A 

Sinful, Moral # Christian Standpoint. 

BY A . 

®oni>crtefc Jlatlroab JfSlan. 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1895, by 
W. H. Hoffman, 
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D.' C. 




Yours, 
W. H. HOFFMAN. 



Sifcre* of £tfe> 



FROM A 



Sinful, Moral # Christian Standpoint. 



BY A 



AUG 1 t898 



Conperteb Jlatlroab plan. 



1895. 

WATTERS BROS., Printers and Binders, 
SIOUX CITY, IOWA. 



HIS LITTLE VOLUME is lovingly dedicated to my Wife, 
vho, by gentle and loving deeds, often caused me to think of 
the Better Way, and instilled into my mind a regard for Truth, long 
before I had any purpose of becoming a Christian. 



W. H. H. 



Though books of every character and description are flooding our 
country, yet another is added to the number. But as a good book is 
a good friend, probably we can never have too many of them. This 
little volume lays no claim to literary merit, but is sent forth on an 
errand of love and helpfulness. Before Mr. Hoffman was converted 
he knew and walked in the ways of the ungodly. Almost unwittingly 
his footsteps turned, one night, toward the church door rather than 
toward the saloon and gambling hell. God's convicting Spirit reached 
his heart that night and within a few days he was gloriously saved. 
Though a careful, thoughtful and discreet man, his whole nature, re- 
newed by Grace, is on fire for the salvation of others, particularly the 
railroad men, of whom he is one. Like the sages and martyrs of old, 
he hears the taunts of the wicked and breathes the spirit of Jesus into 
the lives of those about him. And with the intensest desire of seeing 
railroad men brought to Christ — switched on to the main line for use- 
fulness and Heaven— he has written and now offers them this little 
book. It comes from the pen of one who knows all about their trials, 
besetments, difficulties and dangers, and who has proved that "His 
Grace is sufficient^for every time of need. " As his Pastor, I most 
heartily commend the spirit in which he has written; pray that his 
message may be blessed of God in the conversion of thousands, and 
be a means, as he earnestly trusts, of helping him into a broader field 
of usefulness. If you listen attentively to his story, and his appeals, 
more than likely they will bring sympathy to your heart, tears to your 
eyes, and salvation to your soul. 

WILLIAM GORST 



Dear Readers : I do not expect this book to meet the approval 
of every eye that may happen to glance at its pages, but I do hope 
that you will approve of my theories as of one who knows of what he 
speaks. You will not find one word but what is true. As a sinner I 
was a success from the age of ten years until I was twenty-six. All I 
ask is that you will read and reflect, and if it is the means of doing 
you any good, then I shall feel that my work has not been in vain. I 
will give you an idea of my life up to the present time, and will en- 
deavor to show you where young men, as well as older ones, are very 
weak — not only injuring themselves, but pulling others, both male 
and female, down the broad road to hell. The man or woman who 
judges, who condemns, who has no mercy, and who if they find some 
stain or blemish in someone else, will inflate themselves with insane 
delight, and who would ostracize a neighbor, and especially some 
young woman, for the first offense, by ruling that one mistake must 
mar a lifetime, have no peace in themselves, not even one sweet 
thought. Their lives are one long agony of excitement, and they are 
the decently clad devils of society, too, who do their best to drag 
others after them. But we must remember that Love is heaven, and 
Hate is hell. Therefore, we should delight in loving and being loved, 
as it is the one thing worth living for. We hate and despise in our 
ignorance, but love and pity thrives on knowledge and true charity, 
which is the beautiful side of life. There is no need to invent fables 
at this day and age of the world; life as it is lived among ourselves is 
wonderful enough. One has only to closely observe men and women 
as they are. Then all I need to do is to write — what ? — the Truth. 

Yours, 

W. H. H. 



CHAPTER I. 



| WAS BORN in a place called Adel, the county seat 
of Dallas County, Iowa, December 25, 1868; a very 
pretty village, though a very small one at that time. My 
father was a poor man, as well as a very wicked one. 
He was a barber by trade, but did not have very good 
success, and left my mother before I was three years 
old, taking another woman with him. He left my mother 
with myself and little brother, some three months old, in 
very destitute circumstances. My mother took us to 
her parents, about nineteen or twenty miles in the 
country, and started out by day's work to support us. 
My brother died at the age of ten months, which also 
went to help break mother's heart. Before I was eight 
years old I could see the circumstances that w T ere staring 
us in the face, and made up my mind that just as soon 
as possible I would get to work and help my mother, as 
well as support myself. But my grandparents were very 
poor and I was quite a help to them on the farm. I 
could chop wood and tend to the stock, which I did; in 
fact, I did all of the out-door work and some of the work 
in-doors. My grandfather had to be doctored, on which 
trips I accompanied him for most two years, when God 
at last came one fine summer evening and took him 
home. Oh, I shall never forget as long as I live how 
my heart sank within me, for he was, as I thought, all 



8 THREE SIDES OF LTFE. 

the friend I had beside my mother. After that I was 
dissatisfied and did not want to stay on the farm any 
longer. My grandmother seemed to me then very cross, 
and even worse after my grandfather's death. But I did 
stay for a while. One of my uncles was farming the old 
homestead, so I hired out to him at fifty cents a week to 
start with, and was delighted to think I had a job. I 
worked for him until late in the fall, so I had lots (?) of 
money. 

But I got tired of living on a farm, and told my 
mother I was not cut out for a farmer, and that I was 
going to town to look for something to do. So to town 
I went; and it was but a short time until they all followed 
me. I went to work for a groceryman, driving delivery 
wagon, at twelve dollars per month. I worked for him 
about three months, then got a position as messenger 
boy for the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway, 
at fifteen dollars per month, and in a short time was 
promoted to car checker, with a salary of forty-five 
dollars. I remained at this position for some time, and 
quit only because my mother wished me to learn some 
trade. I went to work then in a barber shop, receiving 
four dollars per month for six months, then eight dollars 
per month for three months, and finally, six dollars per 
week for three months; having to sign a contract for one 
year before I could go to work at all. I followed this 
business for most six years, but finally drifted back to 
railroading, as I liked that better than anything 1 ever 
did, and am yet at it. 



THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 9 

At the age of twenty I was married to the only girl 
I ever loved, and who is my greatest helpmeet and makes 
me the happiest man in all the world. We have two 
pretty children, a boy and a girl: Helen, aged four, and 
Leon, two years. It is an old saying that marriage is a 
Jottery. Well, if it is, I surely must have won one of 
the capital prizes. But is marriage a failure? No; 
unless man makes it so. And what makes a home of 
misery and unhappiness? Why, man does; nine cases 
out of ten. And why? I will tell you later on. 

When men or boys start out in life as I did, with no 
one to look out for them, they are likely to drift into bad 
company and form some very bad habits that will be pretty 
hard to overcome. No doubt there are, and have been, 
lots worse young men in the world than I; but if they 
have not drawn the line it is about time they should do 
so. Take the young man of today and he thinks he is 
a good, moral man. But what have you? A man who 
will lie, swear, drink, smoke, chew and gamble; and yet 
ihe can come into your parlors on Sunday afternoon and 
spend the time with your daughters. And you say — I 
mean you. fathers and mothers — "why, he is a nice 
young man. Our son Charles is a great friend of his, 
and Charles would tell us if there was anything wrong 
• with him. Why, he wouldn't let his sister go with a 
man that was wrong in any way." But pitiless truth 
brings the proof that I wish to show, and that young 
man, whose truth and veracity you would almost have 
staked your life on, is one of the most base and corrupt. 



to THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 

But let me say, no man was ever so bad that he could 
not reform. So let us be honorable and high-minded in 
a case of this kind. Let us go to this young man and 
have a talk with him, and see what we can do for hirm 
Of course he will not like to be talked to in regard to his 
God and sin, but we must reason the case with him and 
try to show him where he is wrong; and not only him, 
but our own boys as well. A great many parents would 
take this way in the matter: they would forbid the young 
man their house, and their daughter even speaking to 
him. And what is the result? She goes to her room, 
drops Mr. So-and-So a note and tells him she will meet 
him at some particular place. They meet as per ap- 
pointment, and she tells him all that has been said, and 
again what is the result? The tie of love between them 
is made stronger than ever, and they will continue to 
meet and be in each other's company in spite of all you 
can say or do. The subject grows upon one so enor- 
mously that it would be quite a hopeless task to finish 
it, but you can draw your own conclusion. But suppose 
^ou take the other way I have mentioned, as a christian 
father or mother should. Most anyone can see what the 
result would be. That young man would more than 
likely think the matter over, your daughter would do 
the same, and they would simply rise up to the true 
nobility of manhood and womanhood. Just because a 
young man is not what he should be is no reason you 
should rise up and forbid him your house, and make 
him worse than he really would be. A very wicked man 
may chance to fall in love with some pure, young girl, 



THREE SIDES OE LIFE, i r 

and she has everything on her side if she will use her 
power to make that man just what she wants him to be. 
He will make resolutions and try to climb up to her 
moral standard; he will use all the strength and vigor of 
his manhood to do just what the woman he loves wants 
him to do. But suppose her parents are trying to pull 
him down just as fast as she can get him to make good 
resolutions. Then of what avail are her prayers? Oh, 
how many young men have been kept out of the king- 
dom of God by some headstrong father or mother. For 
shame! It only shows weakness and that their hearts, 
are not right. 

A shallow heart, a love of self, 
Pure selfishness and nothing else. 

It is not our purpose to advocate the marriage of 
pure women to debased men, for we believe that the 
moral standard for the sexes should be the same. But 
our plea is that a young man be given a chance by ex- 
tending him a helping hand, and the exercise of faith in 
his moral possibilities. 



CHAPTER II. 

jj^UT again, sometimes a dear mother or father may 
speak to them about their ways, and in a kindly 
way; but alas! their ears are deaf; they bear not. But 
have patience with them, for, thank God, there are many 
who do hear and heed, and very often thank father or 
mother for lessons taught in childhood. There are 
thousands of young men and women who have good, 
christian homes, and who are not thrown on the world 
as I was, and yet you do not heed. But there is a day 
coming when you will see your mistake, and it will be 
everlastingly too late. You see your poor old father 
and mother laid to rest, and as your head is bowed with 
grief you think of the many bad things you have done, 
and you say, "I am going to be a better man." Well, 
you may for a while, but you drift on and on, and the 
very first thing you know you are right back where you 
were. My friend, the only way to make this start right 
is to give yourself wholly to God. We may all make 
good resolutions, but we have not the strength of our- 
selves to carry them out. We need the help of Christ 
and the influence of the gospel. Virtue! What is it? 
Well, there are a great many people who do not know, 
or else they do not care. "I don't care!" How often 
is that spoken by young men and women who do not 
understand; and at the time, how much grief it may 
bring them. Don't ever say it again. You may be in 



THREE SIDES OF LIFE. ij 

many trying places, as I have been, but have courage^ 
Don't say "I don't care." Remember your virtue, and 
prize that higher than anything else. You will find 
plenty of good, christian people ready to take you by 
the hand and help you in every way. Then you will 
say, "Oh, there are lots of christians that are not as- 
goo'd as I am." There is self-praise again, yet true 
enough. But are they christians? No, they are hypo- 
crites; and generally of the very worst type. They put 
on the cloak of the church to help them out in business 
or social life. In my opinion they are not as good as 
you are, for you are what you seem to be and they are 
deceivers. They are nothing more nor less than snakes- 
in the grass. 

I will tell you of a church member I knew (and I 
regret very much to say anything of this kind, but I 
told you before I would tell the truth, and by the help 
of God I will). This happened not very long ago. There 
was a young lady converted who was pretty well thought 
of by those who did not know her real life. She asso- 
ciated with the best of company, but only on certairn 
occasions. The man in the case I wish to speak of was 
not a christian. He told me his every-day life, as well 
as hers. This young lady would meet him at different 
places, and was guilty of unchaste relations with him. 
Do you suppose good, christian people would harbor 
any such in their midst if they knew it? I knew of this 
matter before I became a christian. If the pastor of a, 
church knew of a case like this in his flock what would 
he do? Well, as a good, christian man, most anyone 



i 4 THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 

can draw a conclusion as to just what he would do. 
Most people would turn up their noses at a young lady 
of this kind instead of giving her a godly piece of ad- 
vice. They would sooner talk about her and pull her 
down all the more. Mrs. So-and-So will tell somebody 
else, and the first thing you know all the men in town 
are talking about her, and she is turned out of the church. 
I went to this man and talked to him, and tried to show 
him the injury he was doing this young woman, and my 
-words were not in vain; for today, instead of leading a 
life of sin, he is trying, with the help of God, to be the 
man God intended him to be. True and tender sympathy 
is one of the most precious gifts of love, and the balm 
administered by one who understands the circumstances 
and is sincere in what he says, will never fail to heal the 
wound, no matter how bad the man you may speak to. 

What has a tendency to drag people down more or 
Jess are the long tongues of so many old women. They 
have better sense, but they have made it a habit to run 
to their neighbors and retail every bit of gossip that 
they know, and a great deal more. At every opportunity 
the)- are prying into some one's business, whereas if they 
would keep their own door yard clean they would have 
more than they could do. Suppose this young lady was 
thrown into the society of your sister or daughter, and 
3 t ou would after a while find out all I have mentioned; 
the first thing you would do would be to tell them they 
must not have anything more to do with her; possibly 
tell them why. Then. when they meet they won't speak 
to her, and of course she is, insulted and greatly feels 



THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 15 

her wrong doings. She at once remembers all she has 
•done; but it is done and cannot be undone. She may 
repent and try to do better, but every man, woman and 
child who knows anything about her gives her a kick on 
her downward course, and the first thing you know, 
without even a pleasant word from anyone, you find her 
in a house of prostitution. There are thousands of 
3'oung women, I dare say, leading a life of shame whose 
prospects in life at one time were just as bright as yours, 
and who, for one mis-step was dogged by all mankind, 
and finally driven to what they now are. 

But take sin of this kind among the upper crust, 
and how often is it found out? Not once in fifty times. 
You can take for example the Breckinridge-Pollard case. 
That is one; and if the truth were known, you could find 
•eight out of ten of those kind of men who are in sin; 
corrupt, ungodly, and not fit for the poorest class of 
society; holding offices, and not half as good, I dare say, 
as Breckinridge. The ignorance of the bible among 
such men, and especially young men, is an illustration 
of the inadequacy of our educational methods to meet 
the requirements of life at this day and age of the world, 
both social and political. We seem to be asleep as to 
.our political life, and astonished at people who say we 
cannot have public virtue without private virtue. We 
must aim to put our government on a godly foundation, 
as we look to legislation for everything. If we cannot 
get good, christian citizens, who are consecrated to God, 
then we must adopt some cure; and that cure must be per- 
sonal and individual reform. We must get men who have 



1 6 THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 

self-respect enough not to sell their votes — not to flop 
from side to side just because the majority or most 
money goes that way, but who will take a stand and firmly 
maintain it, no matter what betide; men who will come 
out of office just as honorable as they went in. We 
want legislators to put on the statute books that which 
will give those who love righteousness the same advan- 
tage they gain from having the ten commandments behind" 
them, and it remains true that the reform of the mans 
who does this must take place. Then I say, young man r 
brace up; say to yourself, it is time to call a halt, and I 
for one am going to draw the line. 



CHAPTER III. 



JF I could have gotten possession of a book like this, 
written by one who had been through the ordeal, 
and who had the bitter experiences of a young man's sin- 
ful life, I know I should have been a better man than 
I am to-day. A boy or girl at school, or at home, who 
starts out without a fair knowledge of the bible, is at a 
great disadvantage. It is in itself a liberal education. 
I did not get to study or go to school very much, but 
have improved my time at every opportunity since I 
became a christian. Young man, when you read this I 
know just what you will say. You will say, "Oh, he is 
a crank." Well, perhaps I am; but I pray God I may 
always be just that kind of a crank. There is no per- 
fect man, and but one ever lived, and He was the blessed 
Christ, who suffered and died to save sinners. How 
many have accepted him and are saved today? A great 
many, I know, yet there are thousands who have not, 
and who are on the broad road to destruction. But to 
live the better life means to become loving, faithful, 
gentle, and, above all, truthful, and when you are all 
of these, you are started in an honorable way. 

But some of you will say you are narrowing down 
your lines. Let me say to you that if you do not listen 
possibly you maybe like the little speck on the garnered 
peach. Little things will grow upon you, more than you 
can possibly realize. You say, "Oh. I only take a drink 



MA'S. W. II. HOFFMAN. 



THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 19 

once in a while;" "I only bet a little on games up at the 
club, just to pass away the time." Well, that is a very 
poor start; or, you might say, a very good start on the 
downward way. I made just that start myself; but, 
thanks be to God, I called a halt before it was too late. 
Young man, you cannot touch pitch without being 
defiled, and the man who chooses to descend into the 
depths of an immoral man's experience must do so at 
his peril. You keep right on in vice until the language 
that at first brought the color to your face and indignant 
light to your eye, you now almost unheed, and every 
form of vice remains in your mind in spite of every effort 
you can put forth. But if you are man enough, and 
have strength enough to combat with the debased and 
corrupt material nature, then you are man enough to 
reform. 

How many readers of this book have ever given 
thought as to . the number of mistakes prejudice has 
occasioned them to make? Prejudice is predominant in 
most people, and unless you overcome it, it will over- 
come you; and when you allow prejudice to rule, then 
you are unable to render justice to those around you. 
Prejudice has so blinded your eyes that you can see no 
wrong in yourself and no good in your neighbor. 
Christians, I want you to remember that prejudice exists 
more or less in all religious societies, and oftentimes leads 
to bitter hatred. Christians sometimes become so 
bigoted that they can see no good in anyone who is not 
of their belief. How often you hear the remark, "Oh, 
they do not belong to our church." Such things as this 



2o THREE SIDES OE LI EE. . 

are disgusting to outsiders, and have a tendency to keep 
many men from Christ; and it certainly is not the way 
to advocate the cause of religion. We lose sight of 
prejudice by becoming acquainted with one another, and 
when you do you find that each one is striving for the 
same end. I sincerely believe that the time is coming 
when the truth will be realized that we are all children 
of one father, and that father is God, who is ruler over 
all; and when we stand before that great throne on high, 
where no prejudiced feelings reign, we can then truth- 
fully say, Father, we have done all thou hast required of 
us. But let me tell you, young men, home is the place 
to commence all of your good acts, and then you will be 
a man away from home. Home is, or should be, the 
nursery from whose sweet influence purity, virtue, refine- 
ment, manliness, and everything that goes to make a 
true man, come. Fathers, have you ever stopped to 
think how many sons follow in the footsteps of their 
fathers — even if the mothers be good, christian women, 
and exert every effort to save them ? And have you not 
also wondered how it was that so many boys who have 
seen the misery of a drunkard's home should follow the 
same course themselves. Nevertheless, it is true. Yet 
they are more to be pitied than blamed, for you might 
say they inherited it. Oh, ye fathers who allow your 
passions to sway you, and who plunge into all known 
vices, just stop and think of the misery and suffering 
you are entailing upon your offspring. And if you read 
the bible you will find the passage which reads, "As ye 
sow, so shall ye reap." 



THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 21 

What we need in this world is pure men — pure in 
thought and deed. Take the life of the humblest man 
in the world, if well lived, and he will be as successful 
as the man who has greater opportunities to enable him 
to make the result of his works reach farther into the 
world. Some of us must live for the few and others 
must live for the many. So let us all live for our child- 
ren and bring them up in a godly way. Teach them 
the right way and then be an example for them. This 
will make our lives successful in the eyes of God. We 
may think we go to our graves unknown and unheard of, 
but not one of us leaves this world without leaving an 
impression either for good or bad, and the impression 
we make while here on earth is the impression we leave 
when we have crossed the dark river of death. Mow 
many of you have ever stopped to think of this? I will 
admit I did not until I experienced a change of heart, 
and that is just what you need; and when you hear that 
stranger knocking at the door of your heart, permit Him 
to enter. Don't reject Him, for it may be your last 
opportunity. 



CHAPTER IV. 



I KNOW you will think it strange that a railroad man 
should write a book of this kind, but let me say to 
you I have had the experience and know whereof I 
speak. You cannot find a better set of men, who are, 
as a rule, more upright, true and whole-hearted than the 
railroad men — men who risk their lives hourly, in sun- 
shine and rain, for the safety and happiness of others; 
who are always ready to do their duty, and to donate 
their last dollar to charity, if needed. Yet how many of 
us are ready to meet our God? How many of our 
brothers have left their homes and kissed mother or 
wife good-bye, never to return? Now stop for one 
moment and ask yourself, have I done my duty to myself 
and to my God? I remember of speaking at church one 
evening where they were holding revival meetings, and 
when I arose there was a great murmuring went up, for 
to them a converted railroad man was quite a curiosity. 
So many men think they cannot railroad and be 
christians. I have thought so myself, and have made 
that very remark so many times; but this is a great mis- 
take. Any one can be a christian and receive divine 
help for the asking. I have a prayer of a converted rail- 
road man before me, and will give it to you here: 

"Oh, Lord, now that I have flagged Thee, lift my 
feet off the rough road of life and plant them safely on 
the deck of the train of salvation. Let me use the 



THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 23 

safety lamp known as prudence; make all couplings in 
the train with the strong link of Thy love, and let my 
hand-lamp be the bible. And heavenly Father, keep 
all the switches closed that lead off on the sidings, 
especially those with a blind end. Oh, Lord, if it be 
Thy pleasure, have every semaphore block along the line 
show the white light of hope, that I may make the run 
of life without stopping. Oh, Lord, give us the ten 
commandments as a schedule; and when I have finished 
the run and have, on schedule time, pulled into the great 
City of Death, may Thou, the Superintendent of the 
Universe, say, well done thou good and faithful servant, 
come up and sign the pay-roll and receive your check 
for eternal happiness. Amen." 

But how many railroad men can say, ''Now, O 
Lord, I have flagged Thee?" Very few. But there should 
be more, and, brothers, the time is not far distant when 
there will be more of us; and the dead tough element of 
railroad men will be a thing of the past. I will admit 
that some railroad men have hearts of stone and noth- 
ing can move them; and the hardness of a man's heart 
causes him lots of grief, as well as the loved ones around 
him. I know how my mind was, and what a firm stand 
I took against God. I simply said I will not, and I 
would not come to Christ. Thousands are taking the 
same stand. You are unwilling to give in, yet you know 
in your own mind, and your conscience tells you that it 
is right. The eternal destiny of the sinner depends in 
the main upon his will. If you say, 'T will not decide 
for Christ," then all the powers of heaven and earth 



24 THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 

cannot save you. God can never save a sinner against 
his will. I found that out. But when I did give in to 
Him, how easy it was, and what a different feeling. 

Now, brothers, how many of you are closing your 
eyes to God's visitations? Every revival meeting is a 
visitation of God. Every time you feel the spirit knock- 
ing at your heart, it is also a visitation. You will go to 
the meetings night after night and persistently reject 
mercy, until at last day merges into night, the light 
grown dimmer and dimmer, the spirit of God no longer 
pleads with you, your time has come, and you did not 
accept him. Oh, that you might awaken before it is too 
late. The very next chance you get, accept him; just 
say to yourself, "now is the accepted time and the day 
of salvation." Don't look at some poor church member 
and hold him or her up for an example. If you want to 
do that, and criticize the members of a church, pick out 
the best of them, not the poorest. 

But an excuse of this kind will not save your soul. It 
has nothing to do with you whatever. But we all find 
some excuse, and it is generally one of this nature. I 
tried to get out at the same loop-hole, but I found it too 
small. I know of a thousand and one excuses that I 
made to my friends who were kind enough to come and 
talk to me. I knew it was right, yet I would not give up. 
Our pastor, Brother Gorst, spoke to me every evening 
in regard to my soul's salvation, and I told him I did not 
want to be a christian; that a man could not railroad 
and be a good christian; and if I made the start I did 
not want to backslide, and that I knew I could not stick. 



THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 25 

But he reasoned with me in the matter, and I would go 
away from church and think all the next day about what 
had been spoken to me. Then the devil would get hold 
of me, and I would promise myself that I would not go 
to the meetings any more, for I was most afraid that 
they might persuade me to be a better man. So up to 
the Sunday evening that I was converted I played poker, 
swore and drank the same as ever; but that Sunday, 
while playing, I did not feel right. I bought chips and 
played my cards for all they were worth, yet I lost m3 r 
money, and finally told the boys that I was disgusted 
and was going home, and possibly that would be the 
last game of cards they would ever play with me; and 
it was. 

I did not want to be converted for fear of being 
ridiculed by all of my old associates, and particularly 
by the men I had to work with; but when I went to the 
meeting that evening my mind was made up entirely, 
yet I dreaded to go forward among most five hundred 
people. But after the sermon was over and they com- 
menced to sing, "Just as I am, without one plea," my 
heart melted within me. God came to the rescue; I 
arose and went up to the altar, and I stayed right there 
on my knees until I found peace in believing. After the 
meeting I was surrounded by hosts of people, who shook 
me warmly by the hand and-congratulated me heartily 
upon the step I had taken. Many spoke to me who had 
never before exchanged a word with me, and I expect 
they possibly had thought that I was the concentrated 
essence of wickedness; and they were about right. But 



26 THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 

I never felt so relieved in my whole life, and today I am 
feeling just as good. But the happiest one of all was 
my little wife when I went home and told her. She was 
not feeling very well that evening, so she did not attend 
the meeting. She had become discouraged at me, and 
had lost all hope of me ever being a christian. 

Some of my old companions enjoyed themselves 
greatly at my expense. After I was converted many 
bets were made, so I have been told, as to the length of 
time I would hold out, the limit ranging from three 
days to three months. One saloonkeeper and gambler 
predicted that I would stick about three weeks, and no 
longer. All of my former associations had been with 
saloonkeepers and gamblers, and I spent many of my 
Sundays, as well as my evenings, in saloons. 

The first week I found my new life a hard one. I 
had to battle against everything and everybody; but I 
remained firm. My mind was made up, and I intended 
from that day to strive to live nearer to God. But the 
change was so great that it required all of my efforts to 
keep in the straight and narrow path. I have often 
thought of my sins, and how I can recall the names of 
many of my former companions, who have gone beyond 
reach to everlasting ruin; and I might have been the 
cause of doing them some good, had I only been blessed 
with peace and happiness a£ I now am. I have solemnly 
vowed to consecrate the rest of my life, as best I know 
how, to the work of rescuing these poor, unfortunate 
fellows from the evil that surrounds them. 



THREE SIDES OF LI EE. 27 

Habitual gamblers have sprung up in all our larger 
cities, and quite a few in smaller places, and have been 
allowed to flourish untouched by the law; and, indeed, 
have scarcely been observed by the better portion of the 
community. There is a perpetual crop of embezzlers 
among clerks and employees in positions of trust, and 
this all comes from gambling and drink. I tell you, 
young man, there is nothing so demoralizing on the face 
of the earth on account of its fascination as gambling. 
It is true that human passions can never be eradicated by 
placing laws on the statute books. Then we must find some 
other plan to make men. And, my dear friends, the reserved 
ethical and religious forces are always the main reliance 
in making better men. So it is about time to make that 
start if you have not already. Of course this form of 
law-breaking is persistent, but it can be broken up in 
any city or town by equally persistent attention to it on 
the part of its church-going citizens. I tell you, 
brothers, the church that would put half of its charitable 
contributions into the work of suppressing gambling 
and punishing those who break other laws, might find 
less need for the use of the other half of its contributions 
in relief of the poor. Gambling makes poor men. It 
drives a man down and keeps him there, worse than 
liquor, yet the two evils go together arm in arm. They 
are very close friends, and a young man who joins them 
always has friends (?), such as they are, as long as he 
has money. When his money is gone his friends are 
also gone. Oh! my friend, I have been with you; I 
know just how to sympathize with you. I have, you 



28 THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 

might say, drank with you and gambled with you. But 
now with you in the path of sin and death I will no 
longer travel; for we must all appear before the judg- 
ment seat of Christ. Young man, if you are a sinner, 
and could look at your balance sheet before the record- 
ing angel, all the good you have done in your life would 
not balance one day's sin; and in that condition, do you 
think you are a fit subject to appear before the judgment 
seat of Christ? 

It would be utterly impossible for me to try to 
describe the vast change that would take place should 
you become converted; but my entire being seemed to 
have undergone a transformation. I no longer felt the 
slightest desire to tread the paths I had so long traveled, 
and your so-called pleasures of this world have lost all 
their charms for me. I have at last found peace, and 
truly it is the ''peace that passeth all understanding;" 
for I have the hope of a bright future and an eternity of 
bliss. I find a new charm in life and a new beauty in 
nature, and, you might say, a new light in the world. 
I have formed the acquaintance of noble, christian men 
and women, at home and abroad, who, by their daily 
lives and conversations, illustrate to me and others the 
precepts of their blessed Master; and from them I can 
get new conceptions of life. There has a change taken 
place in myself which puzzles me greatly to understand. 
So great is this change that it is impossible for me to 
explain it to you, my friend; but I can bless God every 
day and every hour for his infinite mercy and goodness 
to me, and I shall strive at every opportunity to bring 



THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 29 

wandering souls to Him. And I know if you would 
only give up your earthly gods, and have this trans- 
formation which would take place in you, you would 
then believe every word of mine, otherwise you do not. 
What I mean by earthly gods is that a man says to him- 
self, ' 'Yes, I would like to be a christian, but I don't 
want to give this and that up;" and of all things, he 
does not like to give up any money. Why, I expect 
money will save his soul. He can take money with him 
when he is dead? But, my friends, religion is without 
money or price. You cannot buy your way into heaven. 
Just take the bible and turn to St. Matthew, xviiii: -2 4: 
"And again I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go 
through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter 
into the kingdom of God." Yet some men make money 
their god. They have some excuse to keep their places 
of business open on Sundays instead of going to church 
or resting, and allowing their help to rest. But their 
excuses are very thin. Money is at the bottom of it all. 
They might lose a penny. They are craving after 
money, but religion is something they don't want. If 
they would crave after the gospel half as much as 
money, then money would come to them quicker, easier, 
and do them more good after they got it. Take a man 
of that kind, my friends, and you cannot trust him. If 
you buy anything of him. he will cheat you if he gets 
half a chance. I don't blame a man for wanting what 
belongs to him, but when he reaches out and gets what 
belongs to others, there is nothing godly about him. I 
will also admit that there are some church members 



3 o THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 

whom you cannot trust; but church members are all 
they are, and they should not be that. As I have said 
before, they simply wear the cloak to keep them in good 
society; simply imposters on a good community, and 
should be driven out of society after a certain length of 
time is given them to reform. But, as a rule, those 
kind of people never reform. They give some money to 
the poor, or to the church for charitable institutions, yet 
it is simply to cover up their wickedness and make the 
community believe they are good people. There are 
great multitudes of those kind standing at the gates of 
heaven, pacing up and down, waiting to get a chance to 
slip in. And if there were no defences before heaven, 
and the gates were set aside, with no one to guard them, 
I expect all the wickedness of the world would slip in, 
and all the abandoned of hell would slip in, too, after 
a while, and heaven, instead of being a world of light 
and joy, and peace, and blessedness, would be a world 
of darkness and sin. I tell you, my friends, that heaven 
will not be anything of the kind. There will be none 
of the debauched of earth who have not repented of 
their wickedness and reformed; there will be no such 
thing as thieves, liars, whoremongers, defrauders, or 
anyone who has been a disgrace to their race on earth, 
and who has fought against God. If you misers should 
get to heaven, about the first thing you would do would 
be to pull up "the golden pavement, for you have the 
craze on earth to get money; that is your god and that 
is all you think about. But, my friend, when you come 
to die you will be like the man who came to a large 



77/A'A A SIDES OF LIFE. 31 

river; no way to get across only to swim. What does 
he do? The only thing he can do is to drop everything 
he has in his hands and go empty handed, if he expects 
to reach the other bank. And I say to you, when you 
come down to the river of death you have got to go 
empty handed. Your money won't do you any good 
then; it will not save your soul, for only those who are 
blood-washed and prayer-lipped can get in. You say, 
"Oh, we are very moral, very moral, indeed; we help 
build churches; we are famous for our charities; we 
have helped and done many wonderful things in this 
world, and I think I am just as good as you are, or any- 
one who talks about me." But I tell you now, that un- 
less your heart is changed by the grace of God, you will 
never enter into the kingdom of God. I don't care 
where you come from, who you are, who your father 
was, or your mother, or how brilliant your surroundings 
are, unless you repent for your sins and receive Christ 
as your divine Savior, you are lost. And to do this you 
have got to kneel down and cry unto the Lord Almighty 
for His deliverance. You may be a good, moral man, 
but you have got to be a christian in order to be saved 
by the blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ. 

I don't think it makes any difference as to what 
church you belong to. If you want to be a Baptist, and 
believe in immersion, then I say take the plunge. If 
you want to be a Methodist, be one; but be a christian. 
The fact of the case is that a great many of our churches 
in this day are being doctrined to death. They are try- 
ing to find out just who will be saved, and just who will 



LEON AND HE]. EX. 



THREE SIDES OE /./EE. i3 

be damned, and all about sprinkling and immersion; 
when there are millions of souls who are waiting to have 
the truth put at them. And the truth should be put at 
them in this form: Man a sinner, Christ a savior. 
What more do you want? This is the right kind of 
religion, and shows a good, christian brotherhood. I 
think one church will get one man to heaven, and some 
other church another man, and they will all get men to 
heaven if you live up to what they preach and have the 
power of Godliness in your heart, and show it in your 
life. It don't make any difference what your color is, 
how dark }'our skin may be, or how pale your face may 
be, you are all of flesh and blood, and there will be but 
one pass- word in heaven: and if a man has lived the 
right kind of a life here on earth, when we come to 
heaven, Jesus will be our pass-word, and from Him will 
we receive blessing, honor and glory, world without 
end. So, my christian friends, don't be bigoted church 
members. Don't talk about your brother or sister 
churches; no matter what your neighbor belongs to — if 
it be Baptist, Methodist, Episcopalian, Presbyterian, or 
any denomination. Don't make a gate for yourself and 
then demand the whole w r orld to go through it, or be 
forever lost and cast into hell. I have never heard of God 
giving you or anyone else the contract for making gates; 
and I believe the prayer-book would be a good gate for 
us all to go through, and would give us more brotherly 
and sisterly love than discussing the catechism of the 
different churches and its members. God intended us 
to know some things, and intended us not to know 



34 THREE SIDES OE LIEE. 

others, and the result of discussing such things only- 
puts a large fog over true Christianity. Heaven is not a 
monopoly for a few precious souls; it is not, as I under- 
stand it, a small town with a small population; but it is 
an everlasting, blessed world, where the righteous will 
be, irrespective of nationality. Then I say to you all: 

"Don't dig up the past of living or dead, 
But let them rest, the prophet said; 

For they from earthly friends are torn, 

And inhumanity to man 
Makes countless thousands mourn." 



CHAPTER V. 

If I were you I'd go to church, 

And try to be less fickle; 
And when the plate goes sailing by 

I'd ante up a nickel. 

— Trainmens' Journal. 

OD has never tried to make a man who could please 
everybody, and men see only what we put in the 
plate. God knows what we keep back. So let us be 
cheerful givers to help the good cause on. Let us walk 
with God, and also ask all our friends to go along and 
keep the devil on the run. Man's moral, as well as his 
intellectual nature, should be trained for usefulness on 
earth and happiness in heaven. Men love sin, and by 
this love they are controlled; hence, it is a truism that 
a man with the talents of an angel may be a fool. The 
fool has said in his heart, "there is no God." "The 
heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately 
wicked," but "with the heart man believeth unto 
righteousness." "My son, give me thy heart." So 
then, I say, there is little hope for a man without a 
change of heart. We need the spirit of God to impress 
the truth upon the mind, so that truth may find its way 
through the intellect to man's moral being. And so his 
whole nature undergoes a thorough transformation; for 
"if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things 
have passed away," and behold! all the world has be- 



36 THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 

come new. My dear reader, be not deceived, especially 
my youthful readers: but remember that it is thought, 
that it is study, that strengthens the ligaments of the 
mind; and it is this that gives power to the God-like 
soul. Then, my youthful reader, be a man of thought, 
and you will be astonished at your development. Take 
the bible and give it a careful inspection day after day; 
make it your object of interest, and let progress be your 
watchword. 

How many of my young readers do remember their 
mother's prayers? The words "my mother' 1 fall with 
sweet and gentle power upon the soul of the stalwart 
man of forty years, as well as upon the youth of eighteen, 
as he goes forth upon the stage of active life. Now, my 
friends, remember you have but one mother; remember 
her tears of affection, and her anxieties for your welfare, 
while you were under her care. Also remember that 
when that loved one sleeps the sleep that knows no wak- 
ing, every unkind word, every disobedient act, will come 
rushing up from the storehouse of memory and blight 
the budding blossom of hope in your soul. It is no 
wonder that the grave of a sainted mother is a conse- 
crated spot. Oh! man, let her image ever be in thy 
heart; embalm her memory with a tear. 

If you have not this change of heart, don't delay in 
getting it. Resolve to give up your sins and sinful com- 
panions, and change your course in life. Be a christian, 
no matter what it costs, and walk with God. The 
greatest drawback to some people is that they never 
think of religion until they are on their dying bed; and 



THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 37 

I don't have any faith in death-bed conversions. God 
has given us all plenty of time to repent; who is at 
fault? It is our disposition to have our own way. But 
we must deny ourselves: we must forsake our wicked 
associates and give up sinful gratifications; part with the 
idols we so dearly love, and yield obedience to the laws 
of heaven. There is plenty of time to do this before 
you come to your death bed. We hear a voice from 
heaven saying, "They that seek Me early shall find Me." 
Young men, go seek Him. You will find that when you 
say "good morning" to the devil, he will follow you all 
day. Every victory gained by him over the spirit of 
man is attended with a corresponding loss of moral 
power. A victory achieved by the deceiver is a great 
loss to the soul; and every time you reject the power of 
the Divine Spirit the devil has gained a victory. How 
important, then, it is to entertain a heavenly visitant 
when we have the opportunity of doing so; how import- 
ant it is to encourage every impression made upon the 
heart by the Divine Spirit. Then the education of the 
heart should commence early, and not wait until old age 
overtakes you; for I am satisfied, beyond a doubt, that 
there is nothing short of the Spirit of God that can 
change the heart from a state of sin to a state of holi- 
ness. 

I think it is comparatively easy for the young to 
commence a religious life; and, on the other hand, it 
is 1 more difficult, though not impossible, for the hardened 
offender to yield to the invitation of heaven. When the 
penitent sinner comes to the mercy seat, we are happy 



38 THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 

to say that "Jesus is able to save unto the uttermost 
all that will come unto God through Him." Blessed be 
the name of the Lord. He is able to save the chief of 
sinners if they are willing to be saved. But I know 
men who are far from the kingdom of God, who disobey 
the commandments of our heavenly Father, and who 
delight in those things that God hates. They love sin, 
and I believe that every christian man should put his 
shoulder to the wheel and whisper a few words of peace 
to that man's soul, no matter where you meet him, and 
before long the converting power of God will shine 
upon his soul and he would be brought to feel the mighty 
shock of the spirit's awakening power. How many of 
you christians will agree with me? Every one of you, 
I dare say. Then commence to-day, and as you see 
some poor fellow in sin speak to him about his soul; 
and if he be any part of a gentleman he will not insult 
you, and it might be the means of leading him to a still 
greater manifestation of the Divine Spirit. 

So, dear readers, when you go forth to your daily 
work take "the sword of the spirit" in your hands and 
remember that there is a responsibility resting upon you; 
some soul you can save by speaking the Word of Life. 
Don't be oppressed in spirit, but speak the truth when- 
ever an opportunity presents itself; deliver your message 
the same as if God had called you to the work of the 
ministry, and He will not leave you to battle with the 
tempter alone, but will give you strength to meet the 
emergencies of the occasion; and the influence of a word 



THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 39 

in this connection may result in blessings to our race 
that eternity alone will be able to unfold. 

Solomon has said that "a word fitly spoken is like 
apples of gold in pictures of silver." And those words 
may cheer many a disconsolate heart of a poor sinner — 
changing it from nature to grace, from the power of 
Satan unto God, and this grand result instrumentally 
effected by a word fitly spoken. We cannot live on 
earth without exerting an influence and making an 
impression upon society, either good or bad, for or 
against virtue. Then I say let christian virtue grow in 
your hearts and you will be instrumental in the pro- 
motion of those principles on which true happiness 
depends in this world of sin. The christian life is a 
constant warfare and we must fight if we would win the 
prize. So let us be spiritually minded and we will have 
everlasting life and peace, for 1 assure you that our 
Heavenly Father will give you more of the Holy Spirit 
should you only ask Him. 

Take I Corinthians, xv. : 34, and what do we 
find: "Some have not the knowledge of God; I speak 
this to your shame." Whether it be a thing to be 
ashamed of or not, there are certainly a great many 
people who do not know God. In some cases the idea 
is entirely absent; in others it is present, but it is 
formless, vague, indefinite, and to all practical purposes 
valueless. In the case of still other persons they did. 
have a knowledge of God, or they thought they had, 
which is much the same thing, but as they have grown 
older they have taken the trouble to examine, with 



4 o THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 

care, the notions which they received when children, 
and have come to the conclusion that they are not 
tenable and have thrown them away. But they have 
forgotten to put anything in their place. Those apart- 
ments in their nature which were occupied by what they 
thought to be God contained onty images. And this 
class of people are impatient at the confident tone 
assumed by the church, and by all religious teachers in 
general. 

Now, my friend, is there anything morally blame- 
worthy in such an attitude as theirs? Is there anything 
in it to be ashamed of? I suppose many of you are 
really surprised at the suggestion, and a few may think 
that exactly opposite is true. The young man is inclined 
to think that doubt or hesitation in religious matters is 
rather a thing to pride himself upon than to be ashamed 
of. But what did St. Paul say? " Ignorance of God is 
a shameful thing," and we will all agree that it is not 
only shameful, but it must be criminal; for it is an 
ignorance which can be corrected, and in other depart- 
ments of life nothing is more contemptible than a willful 
ignorance. So just apply this to yourself and if you 
know of anything more unpardonable than to refuse to 
know what is knowable, I would like to know what it is. 
Take it from a business standpoint, and all men will 
agree with me that uncertainty or hesitancy is one of 
the direst of all evils. Better any time to know the 
facts, good or bad, than to be in doubt. 



CHAPTER VI. 



INCERTAINTY ruins business. You can take it in 
our business — the conductor gets aboard his train, 
he may be ignorant, rough, boorish, or anything that is 
bad, but the one thing he must be, and that which the 
officials insist upon, is that he must have a perfectly 
clear understanding as to where he is going and how he is 
going to get there. There cannot be any hesitancy 
about it; he must know. There is no guess work about 
railroading, and on the other hand there is still less 
about the works of God. I expect the most, or one of 
the most, contemptible things in the world is a man or 
woman who doubts husband or wife. For doubt in such 
a relation is a shameful thing, and in such a relation 
there should be no place for doubt; it should not be 
allowed to have any place in a man or woman's heart. 
If there be any ground for the suspicion of evil on either 
side it becomes at once a discreditable thing for either 
to rest one moment until the doubt is settled. It sums 
itself up then in this way: hesitation in an)' matter of 
business is only pardonable after every effort has been 
made to find the truth and has failed. But in the 
religion of our Lord Jesus Christ there is no doubt. 
Let us examine this feeling awhile. We who call our- 
selves christians, for instance, are persuaded that God is 
a fact and a person; that that fact and person is mani- 
fested to us in Jesus Christ; that our destiny, and to 




MOTHER HOFFMAN. 



THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 43 

some extent the destiny of others, is bound up with 
their relation to this manifestation of God. Now is it 
possible for man to have anything better than doubt and 
distrust toward all these propositions? Doubt crossed 
by faith or faith crossed by doubt. Men have sought to 
find assurances from texts, from signs, by prayer, and 
all sorts of means to change the question of uncertainty 
to certainty. And why do they fail and the doubtfulness 
still remain? It is because God corresponds to the 
moral side of consciousness and not to the intellectual 
side, 

Take the philosopher and he may be ignorant of 
God, and a little child will be certain about Him. It is 
not all then in thinking rightly, but also by living 
rightly, that one comes to understand the knowledge of 
God. He that doeth.His will shall know of the doctrine 
whether it be of God. And friends you can never 
understand what the doctrine is until you try to put it 
into practice, and the prayer that starts from God's 
promise is sure to move His hand. And in addition I 
may say that God has His own way of doing His own 
work, and doubtless his manner of dealing with each 
individual of the human race is in harmony with the 
highest wisdom. 

It is of little consequence how you are converted — in 
a church revival or on the street by the Salvation Army, 
just so you get the spirit of God, and when you do then 
you can say, "Whereas I was blind, I now see;" no 
question about that. Just turn to St. John, ninth 
chapter, and read it all, and when you follow and obey 



44 THREE SIDES OE LIFE. 

the commandments of God you will find it a pleasure 
and you will not be far from the kingdom of God, the same 
as this blind man followed Christ's word. Life is a pro- 
longed struggle, and he who would find contentment 
must seek for it in a firm faith that God makes no mis- 
takes. You must buckle on the gospel armor and with 
it once on you will feel the wisdom and power of God. 
Then do your duty, expose sin wherever found, in high 
or low life; don't stop to think whether it will be pala- 
table or not; but take an arrow from the gospel quiver, 
aim at the mark and you will seldom fail to reach it. 
My friends I have lived long enough to see the terrible 
evil of procrastination in all of its deformity, and a 
redeemed soul is surprised that the pardoning grace of 
God was ever bestowed. A soul just converted is able 
to see the peril of its previous state, and you can see it 
in a light which was never seen before, as that has been 
my experience. The word and spirit of God lead our 
minds into a new channel. 

The converting grace of God does not add new 
power to the soul, but changes and gives a new char- 
acter to the power we already possess. It changes your 
will power, and instead of saying, " I will not," you say, 
"Oh, that I could have seen the truth sooner." How 
many millions the world over have looked into a cold 
grave and asked, "Will we ever meet in a brighter 
world? Are they dead and vanquished?" Here is the 
answer: Christ's resurrection is the seal of immortality, 
for the gospel has brought life and immortality to light; 
hence it must mean victory over death and the grave. 



THREE SIDES OF LIFE 45 

That is the only way I can understand it. You may 
have your views, and if they are on a godly principle 
they will compare with mine. Men are blind as to the 
relation the}' sustain to God; blind as to the grave yonder 
that terminates the pathway of life; blind as to the 
nature of sin; yes, blind as to personal responsibility, and 
will play with sin as a child would a venomous ser- 
pent. You may ask by what is he blinded? I will tell 
you: by his indifference. He doesn't care for religious 
things; the)' don't interest him; they make him tired; it 
is a bore to him. This indifference blinds him to the 
•beauty of faith, hope, love, and you might say to every- 
thing that would lift up in practical application. He 
is blinded also by doubt, cultivated by his reading 
everything but the Bible; and more, it is made stronger 
by the shameful irregularities of professing christians. 
May God help them, and pity him in his blindness. It 
will be a sad fate unless his eyes are opened to see the 
realities of this life and what is to be. Let us offer a 
prayer for men of this kind, for they seldom, if ever, 
pray for themselves. 

Take a dollar and hold it close to the eye and see 
how it shuts out the whole expanse of heaven. Just so 
with this man. He has no time for religion. Business 
absorbs all his energy. Hence he cannot see the beauty. 
All he can see is the dollar. May God pity the blind 
who will not try to see. 

Sin is sweet to the taste, I will admit that; but after 
sin, the next day for instance, did you ever notice what 
a bad taste it leaves in your mouth? Possibly a black 



46 THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 

eye, and it deadens the moral sense; so if it is indulged 
in it will surely bring destruction. May God open the 
young man's eyes that he may see. Of course we all 
have enemies and with the devil to give them power they 
are most too strong for us to grapple with alone. But 
when God comes to our rescue we will overcome most 
surely. God is interested, and He is the source of all 
spiritual joy and strength. But indifference, doubt, 
worldly interests, self-indulgence, avarice and lust, are 
what endanger your soul's safety to-day; and how many 
of you, old and young, are totally blind to this truth? 
Oh, young man or young woman, if you are in sin to-day 
give it up, for if you don't you are hastening on toward 
the consummation of all that is sad. Do you ever stop 
to think? Do you ever think this may be your last chance 
to decide your destiny? My friend, I say to you, let the 
angel sent forth D3' Christ get the victory over your soul, 
then it is easy for you to decide your destiny. Just 
think over the years that are past. You have been 
under an evil master and nearly ruined by carousal, I 
dare say. Then why not throw off this demon of sin, 
which will, if let run, cause the blackest of darkness to 
your soul; take a new life upon you, rise up from the 
darkness of indifference and selfishness into a nobler 
life. You say, "Yes, I would change my ways and try to 
be a christian, but I am afraid I would not hold out. I 
am afraid I might backslide, and I would rather not 
make the start than to backslide and be like Mr. So and 
So." I tell you, friends, there is too much of this. It is 
a very poor excuse for you. We all have our ups and 



THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 47 

downs and we are all weak without God's help, but we 
can receive that for the asking. 

I was riding on an engine one day and we were 
going up a very steep grade. The reverse lever was 
exactly one notch in the forward fnotion, when she com- 
menced to exhaust — harder and harder, slower and 
slower; down went the lever one, two, three notches, 
and the throttle was shoved in a little, then a little more; 
now we are over half way up, almost exhausted, but 
down goes the lever to the corner or the very last notch, 
out comes the throttle, and now we have on all our 
power. She commences to slip, we drop a stream of 
sand on the rail, but of no avail; we cannot make the 
top of the hill. Now we have just discovered that our 
fire is most out. Our only salvation has got too low and 
we have not enough fire to make steam; we are stalled. 
We scream for brakes so we may not backslide; so we 
may stand right where we stopped until we get fire and 
steam enough to proceed. So I say to you who are 
afraid you will backslide, stop! scream for brakes. God 
will hear you and will apply the brakes. Make a prayer 
to Him for His ever saving power, then whistle off 
brakes and proceed with God as your conductor, brake- 
man, engineer, fireman and superintendent of the uni- 
verse; you will reach the top much better than we did 
on the day I speak of. For an illustration I think this 
a good one as it came to my mind on that day. It shows 
you that by saying, " With God as my helper, I will," 
you are able to do wonderful things; and more, never to 
backslide. 



CHAPTER VII. 



I UST look around you! There is religion in everything 
around us, a calm and holy religion in the unbreath- 
ing things of nature, which it would be well for man to 
imitate. The voice of God's power is heard in the 
rustling of the forest. It is among the hills and valleys 
of the earth. It is written on the arched sky; yes, it is 
written everywhere. Then I say to you don't be kept 
out of the church by some one or two professing christ- 
ians, who have not the' power of God in their hearts, 
but seek ye the Lord that you may have the prospect of 
a bright and glorious future, and life beyond the grave. 
What a comfort there is when a man can weep tears of 
affection and joy, and one can tell by his countenance 
that he has the inspiration of Heaven; there is no dark- 
ness, all is light, his way is clear, bless the Lord. For 
that is my experience and I shall ever exercise my power 
to be useful to God and fallen humanity, and ever try to 
improve the godlike power given me. 

My young friend take the Bible, turn to Proverbs 
1 and 7. What do you find? (i The fear of the Lord is 
the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom 
and instruction. " This was written by Solomon, the son 
of David. I say, and believe from observation, that 
there is no excellence without great labor. What I 
mean is this: that the education, moral and intellectual, 
of every individual, must be, chief!)', his own work. We: 



THREE SIDES OE LIFE. 49 

are the architects of our own fortunes. If we were not 
how does it come that young men like you and me, who 
have had precisely the same opportunities, are contin- 
ually presenting different results and new thoughts, and 
who are rushing on in different directions. I tell you 
my young friend it is knowledge; they have their eyes 
open. You can observe some young men sinking day 
bv day in poverty, obscurity and wretchedness, while 
on the other hand you will see some plodding along slow 
but sure, gaining steadier footing at every step, and who 
will some day be a blessing to their country and fellow- 
men. Their success is due to long continued investigation 
and widespread comprehension of mind exerted to gain 
knowledge, and it depends on yourselves whether you 
will be instructed or not, and how hard you will work to 
push your education. 

And, my reader, if you are a young man about ready 
to leave your home forever, the privileges and joys j^ou 
are now partaking of will soon pass away, and when you 
go forth into the world and feel the want of a father's or 
a mother's love, as I did, then you will remember, and 
it will return freshly to your mind, what you now read. 
In a country like ours there is no man, no matter how 
poor, if aided by industry, economy and virtue, but can 
rise from the lowest rank of society to the highest. But 
he must have the help of christians; they must give him 
that word of encouragement and extend a helping hand. 
And by the knowledge of this fact it gives him strength 
and cheers him on to struggle nobly in the paths that 
will lead to honor and glory. So I say to all, if you 



50 THREE SIDES OE LI EE. 

meet a man who is poor, or clothed in rags, don't 
despise him because of that poverty. If you are wealthy 
he may also be some day, and it might be a word from 
you fitly spoken, or through your influence, that he 
might conquer poverty. Who knows? If one man 
possesses more intelligence than another it may not then 
elevate him in the ranks of society or bring him any 
more respect than another man, and I believe it is the 
same with wealth, yet money and good clothes make 
some people. They go to church to show their clothes 
and not because they have the love of God in their 
hearts. They are proud and overbearing. They make 
lackeys out of their servants; they spurn and despise 
the poor and friendless. But they can go to church and 
make a prayer the sentiment of which is hard to grasp, 
and applies to no particular thing; no expression, no 
sympathy or consolation attached to it at all, and 
directed to no one point. We have too many people in 
our churches who hold virtue in one hand and religion 
in the other, and drop which ever they want to at their 
will; not only men, but women as well. I can point the 
finger of scorn at more than one woman who is trying to 
make Christianity her cloak, and who goes in the best of 
society, simply because they do not know her real 
character — married women as well as single — who in the 
presence of the all-seeing God, the great witness and 
judge of all humanity, go right on in the most cool and 
artful guilt that humanity can indulge in, and on the most 
short-sighted presumptions that any witness of hypocrisy 



THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 51 

would require to sentence the most notorious malefactor 
that could come before public justice. 

My dear readers I don't want you to think that this 
is applied to women alone, but I know men who are a 
disgrace to society, and to Christianity as well. It is 
true that some women exert an evil influence over men, 
but they are relatively few in number. The great 
majority as sweethearts, sisters, wives or mothers, in- 
fluence men to live true and honorable lives. They 
inspire them with ambition and make them in their turn, 
but as secondary agents, moral forces in the community. 
Then you see it is not the women alone who are to 
blame. Men seldom exert a similar influence over 
women. Then it must be assumed that women repre- 
sent the moral force of society more then men do. The 
unit of civilized society is not the man or the woman, 
but the family; and, in spite of law and fiction, the 
mother is the true center of home, and as long as she 
retains that proud position and cultivates home ties, with 
God's work and the Word of our Lord Jesus Christ for 
her foundation, she will promote, rather than lessen, 
moral influence. Oh, that we had more of those kind 
of women! I have heard a great deal of the coming 
woman — one who will desert her home for business life, 
but I don't believe the coming woman will do anything 
of the kind. Some of the most active women in public 
work are also among the best of house-wives, giving full 
attention to their family, and using only their leisure 
hours for the moral, charitable or reform work, which 



52 THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 

attracts the notice of the community. May God help 
those kind of women to ever keep on working. 

There are millions of good women in the world, and 
I want to say to you, young man, when you see one 
respect her; give unto her a helping hand if it be in your 
power. Get her to be your teacher and you will find 
out that woman's influence, whether pronounced or for- 
ever silent, has a tendenc}^ to make a man or the world 
better. God bless the noble women in our land. A 
good woman will forever lead a man to his maker, to 
glory and to honor. No doubt there are some women, 
as there are men, who, being carried away by the fasci- 
nations of a public career, may be led to neglect home 
for public duties. But I think you will find the woman 
at home more than the man in a case of this kind, for 
the motherly instincts will keep the coming woman true 
to her home duties. Even hard business experiences 
will give her a clearer sense of her moral duties, and will 
better fit her to discharge them for the benefit of the 
coming man. It is already found out that man is more 
or less dependent on the weaker sex. The most noted 
and best of mothers have been intellectually great and 
correspondingly forceful as moral teachers and guides. 
It is not necessary for women to imitate man in dress or 
manners to establish equality with him, for the mannish 
woman is indeed but a poor imitation and a bore. I 
want to see the coming woman original enough to avoid 
imitating man so far as costume is concerned. I will 
expect her to have what thousands of good women have,, 



THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 53 

inspiring influence, home virtue and attractiveness. If 
she has those then the outlook is not alarming, but 
hopeful. 




M. E. CHURCH, NORFOLK, NEB., WHERE MY 
CONVERSION TOOK PLACE. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



I WANT to say to you, young man, the coming man 
is to be one of you, and my object is to reach some 
young men through this little book, whom we could not 
reach otherwise, and who are drifting into the recklessness 
of youth, mockery of life, and an aimless existence; just 
as I was before my eyes were opened. Oh, young man, 
stop and reflect. Think what a waste of power, which 
if you go right on will lead to helplessness, desolation, 
despair and utter ruin. Why not then be more of a man; 
why not be like the coming woman, upright; try to do 
some good in this world for yourself as well as others. 
You have your influence, good or bad. Then try to 
uplift, and commence on yourself. Among the vile and 
most wicked men we can find real sympathy; men who 
will plead with the young not to follow in their footsteps, 
for vice is repulsive everywhere. How many young men 
could I put my hand on, whom the community at large 
suppose to be of the very best, and who move in society 
as the best, yet live under a disguise? Young man stop 
this masquerading, throw off this disguise, and be what 
you are right out and out; for you are not only injuring 
yourself but your fellowmen. There are too many 
characters in disguise, both male and female, and their 
most intimate friends do not know it. If we could read 
many men's innermost hearts as we clasp their hand in 
friendship, how many do you suppose we would shrink 



56 THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 

from in disgust. Ignorance of what is hidden beneath 
the surface is the reason why we never know but a por- 
tion of the truth and real character of one who is most 
dear to us in friendship. We can feel in our hearts that 
they are not happy, yet they meet us with a smile, calm- 
ness, and an even temper; yet they are full of grief, 
bitterness and passion. You will ask what makes this? 
I will tell you as best I cam All worldly pleasure must 
be bought at the price of pain; the difference between 
false and true pleasure is that for the true the price must 
be paid before you enjoy it; for the false after you enjoy 
it. After a night of dissipation you have bloodshot 
eyes, shattered nerves, a trembling hand and aching 
head; and physical agony is produced all over your 
entire system. I know and speak from experience. 
Young men, especially, follow a persistent course of sel- 
fishness; they seem not to have any sense of obligation 
toward God or fellowman; they simply live for them- 
selves; and the consciousness of their personal respon- 
sibility to God or fellowman is, to them, of no im- 
portance. The pleasure seeking soul is always looking 
for sin as a pleasure. They never stop to think that sin 
is like a serpent in some respects, coiled with gleaming 
eye, and fang ready to strike without one moment's 
warning; sometimes in the cup, hidden by the ruby 
wine, or it may be in some other vice, but they all go 
together; where you find one you will always find its 
companion. Then your most important thought, or the 
one which should most occupy your mind, is your 
individual responsibility as a man toward God and 



THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 57 

fellowman. Disobedience has always, more or less, 
been the great barrier between God and man; and it will 
also be remembered that it was disobedience that first 
brought sin into the world. 

Then to you, young man, I would say, make the 
start in this way: never go anywhere where you could 
not ask Christ to attend you; never engage in anything 
on which you could not ask His blessing, and always be 
sure that you have God's presence; and that your con- 
duct be always such that you can reasonably expect His 
presence. We are all weak creatures without God's 
help, and we are exposed to danger all the time. God's 
help is needed in our everyday life. It is needed in 
prosperity as well as in adversity; and we are in more 
danger of being drawn from Christ in prosperity. Then 
the only way to secure and maintain happiness, glory 
and honor is by obedience, and then you will enjoy His 
presence. Glory to God! As we go through life almost 
every object that attracts our notice has its bright and 
its dark side. He who habituates himself to look on the 
dark side will sour his disposition, and consequently 
mar his happiness; but he who constantly beholds the 
bright side insensibly softens his temper, improves his 
own happiness, and the happiness of all with whom he 
may come in contact. He communicates into society 
the glory and happiness he enjoys, which has the neces- 
sary influence to draw others into God's sunshine. Thus 
does obedience, politeness and good sense direct us to 
always look at every object on the bright side; and by 
thus doing we cherish and improve all, and by practice 



58 . THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 

we will get that agreeableness of temper, which every 
christian should have, and of which the natural and 
never-failing fruit is happiness. The dark side will 
spread universal gloom, but the bright one continual 
sunshine. Therefore there is nothing more worthy of our 
attention than the art of happiness. Your daily conver- 
sation, as well as your life and happiness, often depends 
upon the slightest incidents. Then I say, young man, 
be more careful in your conversation as well as in your 
actions in every day life. If a man has God's spirit in 
his heart, and the message of God in his hand, then he 
can command the respect of all the community; but he 
must follow the rules laid down in the gospel in order to 
do this. 

I have seen men and women leave a place of 
worship simply because the minister said something 
they did not like. I have wanted to leave very often 
myself, but was never guilty of doing so. The way I 
had of doing was quite easy; I just simply stayed away 
from church, did not put my foot inside of a church for 
over four years until just before I was converted. If 
you don't like what the minister says, and the shoe fits 
you, wear it home; the church is better off without you, 
whether you be a christian or a sinner, if the minister 
has to modify the word of God in order to get you to 
come to church. If speaking the truth will drive men 
out of the church, it will be a question what effect this 
book will have on you; for it is the truth, and nothing 
but the truth. But, friends, the strength of the church 
does not entirely depend on the number who attend, its 



THREE SIDES OE LIEE. 59 

wealth or prosperity, but in its purity; and that is not 
only what the church must have, but the minister must 
be a man pure in heart, with a good, clear conscience, 
not afraid to speak the Word of God just as it is laid 
down to us in the gospel. If you will observe closely, 
in speaking of effects no one will get offended, but on 
the other hand, you touch or strike very close to 
individuals and you can almost see in their faces that they 
despise you. But we must remember that which is glory 
in the eyes of some men is public disgrace before God. 
Then let us speak the truth ; hew to the line, let the chips 
fall where they may, and then if a man goes on with a char- 
acter dark with vice in the sight of God, he cannot say, 
11 Oh, that I could have known the truth sooner." My 
friend, you have no excuse. There is a christian commu- 
nity all around you; you have churches of every denom- 
ination within your reach; you meet men who are striving 
every day to add treasures in Heaven by speaking the 
truth of the gospel; yet when you get real sick, and com- 
mence to think of death, and one of those good men come 
to your bedside, you say, " Oh, that I might have known 
the truth sooner. " You do not stop to think that you ought 
to be ashamed of yourself for not doing your duty 
toward God and your fellowman long before this. Your 
excuse is then, "Oh, I had so much business." Yes, I 
expect you did; you were so tangled up in this world's 
affairs that you forgot all about your soul's salvation. I 
expect you had to go hunting or fishing, or play a game 
of ball, most every Sunday; so much business! I don't 
suppose you could even let your wife go to church 



60 THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 

Sundays because you had so much business. The poor 
woman had to stay at home and take care of all the 
children. Shame on such a man. If you have not seen 
your weakness, it is about time that what you now 
read does you some good; for you cannot go through 
this world unnoticed. You must also remember that the 
relation between man and man ceases not with life; 
and when you are * dead you will leave behind you a 
memory, good or bad. Oh, let it be a good one. The 
effect of your actions, the influence you had in life, will 
still remain and abide with us. Try to live such a life 
here among men that when you are laid to rest, in the 
recollection of that life there will be no fault. The love 
that survives the tomb is one of the grandest attributes 
of the soul. There is a remembrance of the dead to 
which we turn, even from the charms of the living. 
And if you are a husband, and have ever caused the fond 
bosom that ventured her happiness in your arms to 
doubt one moment your kindness or truth; or if you 
have ever wronged, in thought, word or deed, that 
spirit who so generously confided in you, then when she 
lies cold and still beneath thy gaze, there will throng 
back upon your memory every unkind look, every 
ungracious word and ungentle action, and they will 
knock dolefully at your heart. Oh, if you have not 
repented, lay down in sorrow and repent on the grave of 
one who was most dear to you in life. Take warning by 
the bitterness in your heart, and henceforth be more 
faithful and affectionate in the discharge of 5'our duties 
to the living. 



CHAPTER IX. 



jy^Y DEAR FRIEND, if you are not a christian, if you 
have never tasted of this water of life, you do not, 
and can not, comprehend what the blessings of a godlike 
spirit are. A meek christian spirit commands the love 
and esteem of all; but we must have the spirit. God is 
a spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him 
in spirit and in truth. How often do we hear of some 
man or woman, who professes Christianity, going astray? 
And how often do we see christians stand back and 
refuse to help him or her out of the ditch? Sometimes 
it is because they do not believe as we believe, or 
because they do not belong to our church. 

My dear friends, it is not right to kick a man 
because he has made one mis-step and try to help him 
on the downward road, instead of trying to uplift him. 
This applies to sinners as well as christians. I say it is 
not right as men professing Christianity. We ought to 
work together to do good, shoulder to shoulder; lift up 
your fellowman no matter where you find him; he may 
be poor, and in misery, wretchedness, debased and 
degraded, but stop and try to lift him up; whisper words 
of hope in his ear, give him all the encouragement you 
can. Deliver God's message in a way that he may feel 
it to the core of his heart. Impress upon his mind that 
the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every 
man that believeth. And through the power of the 



THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 63 

gospel any man can get the spirit and the grace of God; 
and more, it is a sure remedy for moral evil. 

One more word of advice to my christian friends. 
When you see a man or woman in misery or want, or 
who is just breaking from the path of virtue, don't look 
at their clothes, don't talk to their clothes, but talk to 
the person; don't ask them what church they belong to, 
or if any, before you make a move to relieve them of 
their sufferings. For under those rags may beat a heart 
full of human sympathy, and you might be the instru- 
ment of his salvation; who knows? Poor creatures of 
imitation and sympathy we are; we look around us for 
support and aid, even in our virtue we have plenty; and 
if we go right on with our eyes closed against sin and 
the poor, and the sinner who is not poor, and leave 
behind us, when we are dead, a character dark with 
vices in the sight of God, where the chances are that a 
word, fitly spoken by us, would have saved them from a 
world of sin, I think it would have been better had we 
never been born. There is no greater service which a 
man of commanding intellect can render his fellow 
creatures, than that of leaving behind him an unspotted 
example. Those who are impressed with our good 
christian graces and our every day life, and who have 
been blessed by our influence in their life, will retain a 
dear remembrance of us, and our love for them while on 
•earth, long after we have passed beyond this vale of 
tears. That is why I say every christian should have the 
spirit of God in their hearts, and to always remember that 
a true christian liveth not for himself; and it is thus, in 



64 THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 

one respect, that he dieth not for himself. So do not 
be afraid to^speak to a fallen brother. It matters not 
what he is, where he came from, or what church he 
belongs to. You will find the same doctrine preached 
in all our churches; the same sacraments are admin- 
istered, and the same devotions are practiced. This is 
no merit of ours, but the grace of God. Then let a man 
belong to what denomination he will, this one thing 
must be impressed upon his mind, and that is, that the 
religion of our Lord Jesus Christ is not experimental 
religion; and with this powerful impression upon him it 
will not be a surprise to find in him the foundation laid 
for an upright christian character, and a man who will 
defend his religion at all hazards, and who can lead 
fallen humanity to Christ by pointing out to them the 
word of God, or the knowledge obtained through the 
bible. 

I wish to say to the young before I finish, that there 
is a most lamentable waste of intellect among you. How 
few of you do justice to your native powers, and how 
few try to improve or acquire the knowledge that 
will remove every obstacle and make you one of the 
most eminent of men, which a kind providence has 
placed within the reach of all mankind. Early knowl- 
edge is not only the easiest but the longest retained; 
your memory will become treacherous as you advance in 
age, and you will find when you get to be about twenty- 
five or thirty that early knowledge has the firmest hold 
on your mind. Now, my young friends, let me tell you 
how to commence to gain this knowledge: the Sabbath 



THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 65 

school will impart the knowledge which will help you 
all through your life if you make that start. Every 
child old enough should attend Sunday school just as 
regularly as Sunday comes. Parents should be more 
careful; see that your children attend the Sunday school 
whether you be a christian or not. Remember that 
knowledge from the Word of God is a very valuable and 
advantageous thing for a young man to set out in life 
with. It is and ever will be sure death to sin wherever 
they meet face to face. How often do we hear men like 
myself say, "Oh, if I could have only possessed the 
knowledge when I was young that I now have, I would 
have been a happier man now." Yes, that may be true, 
but look back and who is at fault? I say to you, my 
young friend, if you have the opportunity while young 
to gain this knowledge, don't lose it, but secure that 
needful knowledge at once, and do not be a stumbling- 
block for anyone else. Have that knowledge which is 
most important to dispose and enable you to escape the 
perils and temptations of sin, and to invite your rising 
energies away from the solicitations of youthful passions; 
to lay before you the vast motives to rise to the proper 
dignity of your intellectual and moral being, that you 
may thus secure the great end for which you were 
created, which is to glorify God and enjoy His presence 
forever. 

We might say, in one sense, youth is saved by 
knowledge and destroyed for the lack of it. God said, 
"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; 
because thou hast rejected knowledge I also will reject 



66 THREE SIDES OE LIFE. 

thee." Therefore, to you, young people, I say, get the re- 
quired knowledge if it is yet possible; seek it rather than 
gold or rubies, for you will prize it much higher, and 
you will find that all earthly joys are nothing compared 
with the knowledge from the bible. It is a hundred per 
cent, in this life, and eternal life in the world to come. 
Knowledge of self is wisdom; yet how many of us, 
especially the young, stop to think that self-conscious- 
ness is the root of hundreds of evils. When people 
commence to think of self and no one else, and let their 
feelings run, it is sure to run into a morbid state; and 
from that they commence to worry; it causes uneasiness 
and anxiety, which will cause many real aches and pains, 
and which causes more young men to commit suicide 
than any other one thing. You will say how does this 
come? Well, I will tell you. The whole matter lies in 
diversion; in diverting the mind from self. One must 
not think of self, or even acknowledge that there is any 
bodily self. If a young man can keep himself in a 
pleasant state of mind, be frank, honest and upright in 
all his dealings, then all he needs is the grace of our 
Lord Jesus Christ to keep him in that mood. Solomon 
says in Proverbs, xii. : 1, ''Whoso loveth instruction 
loveth knowledge; but he that hateth reproof is brutish. " 
Then we should commence to receive instructions in 
childhood. Jesus recognized the significance of child- 
hood when He made it the basis of His kingdom. Men 
must become like little children if they would inherit 
eternal life. 



CHAPTER X. 



TELL you, my young friends, it requires great 
strength of mind, and firmness of purpose, to burst 
the fetters of the damning influence of vice. One has to 
have great decision of character in order to trample the 
enemy under foot, and stand a free man or woman in 
the sight of God. But have courage, my brother, you 
will find out after awhile, as you take this good work up, 
what a grand thing it is to be in a struggle of this kind. 
God will be ever with you in all His power, and by ask- 
ing Him for His help you will meet no discouragements, 
for with God's help alone we can persevere in every 
good thing. Sometimes we may grope in darkness or 
fail in what we have outlined, yet, thank God, He will 
throw beams of sunshine upon our path if we will only 
trust Him. The conflict we are now in, my friend, is a 
bloodless, peaceful one. yet it is a struggle for life; 
eternal life. But we must stand our ground as true 
christians should. The weapons of our warfare are not 
carnal but mighty through God, and by His help we are 
going to be strong enough to pull down the strong fort- 
ress of the devil. And I tell you, christians, we must 
look to men and women, who, by the circumstances of 
their lives, and by the influences of society, are led into 
temptation, and through human weaknesses are drawn 
into sin; and it is your sympathy, and your help, that 



68 THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 

will lift them up and start them onward to victory over 
sin. 

With a few remarks I will close; I hope that my 
many readers will not criticise my work in this little 
book too severely, as I have tried to interest you, but 
above all my earnest desire is to benefit. I found it a 
very difficult task to stick to my text; and as you see By 
the title, I also had three very hard subjects to treat; 
but I have done my best, with God's help, and I will 
trust to the kindness of my readers to pardon the liber- 
ties I have taken in my ramblings. Our pastor, Bro. 
Gorst, of M. E. Church, at Norfolk, Neb., has penned 
you a few words as introductory to my work. It was 
through the instrumentality of Brother Gorst and Sister 
Mae Phillips, the great woman evangelist, that my eyes 
were opened in regard to God's great goodness. May 
He ever be with them in all their works, and especially 
in bringing yoUng men out of sin and planting their feet 
on the solid r6ck, Christ Jesus; and, forever, may they 
speak the Word of God from this standpoint: one God, 
one Christ, one faith, one baptism. 

And now, Almighty God, the Father and Creator of 
the universe, put this little volume into the hands of the 
unrighteous, as well as the righteous. Give unto them 
that spirit which will, if followed out, make man to man 
equal, and a life without sin. Oh! God, show unto them 
Thy works, and make them to feel Thy power; and, Oh! 
Father, be with them through all their trials and tempta- 
tions. And, Oh! God, those who will not listen to Thy 
word, or go where they can gain the necessary knowl- 



THREE SIDES OF LIFE. 6g 

edge from Thy truth, have mercy on them for a little 
while for they know not what they do. And now, Oh! 
God, if there be one soul brought to Christ through the 
instrumentality of this book, bless that man or woman; 
and, Oh! God, pour out Thy divine spirit on that soul, 
that they may ever follow in Thy footsteps. And now, 
our Father, we leave this work in Thy care; give us the 
grace and power that we may ever do Thy will; bless all 
humanity wherever found doing Thy work; help us that 
we may add glory and honor to Thy name, and all praise 
shall be Thine, now and forever. Amen. 



THE END. 



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